When contrasting President Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in the debate speech, Reagan's arguments and explanations were the most persuasive. Reagan’s speech was more compelling because he used supporting evidence to showcase his success in fighting inflation while he was running for governor of California. In one statement, a major claim of Carter's was that his policies had reduced inflation by 10 percent in less than a year, as well as providing 9 million jobs to reduce unemployment. Although Carter may have decreased inflation from the start of the year to the middle of his presidency, the inflation rate has increased from almost 4.4 percent at the start of his presidency to almost 12 percent now. Reagan refutes this claim. A graph provided …show more content…
For example, during his campaign, Reagan implemented policies that reduced inflation in California from 6% to 3%. He showed that his governance in California had worked in the past. He had strict control over money spending and cut taxes, which helped stimulate the growth of the country's economy and reduced Californian inflation. His records during the 1980 campaign demonstrate that Mr. Regan knew how to deal with inflation on a national scale. Another factor that led to his debate speech becoming more compelling was his connection to the audience on a personal level. He discussed his plans for how to help the people of California and emphasized that tax cuts would not put a strain on the people of the state. …show more content…
This vision included a strong economy and national defense, as well as a commitment to freedom and individual liberty. Reagan's confident tone and optimistic message resonated with the audience and made his performance memorable. However, Carter's messages focused more on policy than on emotional appeals. He argues for an increase in government spending and regulations to address economic and social issues. While these policies may had some merit, they lacked Reagan's emotional connection. Carter argued that Reagan's tax cuts and military increases would lead to inflation by increasing the Federal deficit. Carter's proposals focused too much on economic details and lacked the emotional appeal to galvanize the public. He was not able to communicate the real-life implications of the policies or explain how they would have a positive impact on people's lives and emphasized inflation as his focus in the administration's efforts to combat it. Furthermore, Reagan's suggestion was deemed unrealistic and potentially detrimental. To counter Carter's argument, Reagan had to consider another topic related to economic inflation, which was broader economics. Reagan's next step was to connect the inflation figures to broader economic issues. For example, in a debate with Carter in 1980, Reagan argued that "inflation is not the disease, it's a symptom of the disease" and that "inflation